The R1 P-T-W is over 1000bhp/ton, while that of the P220 is a mere 133bhp/ton
The Indian motorcycling scene can’t stake claim as one that is horsepower driven. And you can see why - widely acknowledged as the sportiest bike in the country today, the P220, makes just 20bhp. Abroad, street bikes meant for daily commute make more than 150bhp. And bikes which are considered sporty, make 180bhp or thereabouts.
Yes, I agree, the average Indian is consumed with fuel efficiency and the average enthusiast with affordability. But even so, we are moving towards sub segments in classes which are focusing on performance. And the best way to convey performance, is, of course, talking horsepower.
TVS did so with the RTR – upping the capacity and the horsepower with of course an increase in price. It was essentially a way for the company to break clutter in the crowded segment where its own 150cc Apache was struggling to get noticed, but it did benefit the enthusiast.
Bajaj, with the XCD Sprint, has moved the horsepower game a segment lower. The bike promises 12.5bhp, different styling compared to the regular XCD, and will still play the affordability card.
The company had tried the same with the Discover 135, albeit moving up the capacity ladder. But the bike lacked exclusivity, thanks to the 112 and 125 styling identical to the most powerful of the Discover triplets. And exclusivity or the standout factor is a necessity for the buyer who is putting in the extra cash both upfront and in running costs, to make a statement, “I am not your everyday commuter, I am an indulgent biker, who relishes performance.”
Bhp is especially an important consideration when looking at premium offerings. But some believe upping the bhp isn’t the only solution, or distinguishing factor. If performance is what you seek, it can also be extracted by having a light bike – in other words better power-to-weight ratio.
Power-to-weight ratio is also considered a good measure of a bike’s accelerating abilities, and even its top end performance.
In the Indian context, targeting higher bhp/ton has another advantage – that of fuel efficiency. A lighter bike you see will inherently travel more kilometres to a litre.
It, of course, has its downsides, and the biggest would be in the communication area. The average Indian consumer understands bhp very well while the concept of bhp/ton, even among educated and informed bike buyers, is an alien one. It would consequently require a lot of effort on part of the bike maker to convince the average buyer of benefits of the power-to-weight notion.
Another big drawback would be the bike’s performance with the complete payload on board (payload for the uninitiated, is the load the bike can carry officially including both the rider and pillion and maybe some other stuff). The thing is, no bike maker is going to give the power-to-weight ratio of a bike considering the gross vehicle weight which is the kerb weight of the bike added to the payload it can haul).
So, the moment you have a pillion on board the whole equation suffers. Consider there’s an 80kg pillion perched at the rear of the bike, it naturally negates the weight advantage the bike enjoys. The weight you see is going up, while the power isn’t. And for a bike that weighs 120-130kg, 80kg is almost 40 per cent of the bike’s weight.
Needless to say, all the 0-60kmph claimed times are going to tumble. As will the riding experience on the whole, and while overtaking and negotiating ghats in particular.
Yamaha, we all know, will play the power-to-weight card for the R15 as it will weigh less in comparison to other 150s available today. And it will have a higher power output, maybe even 20bhp, if god and Yamaha are kind.
Naturally, it will claim the best power-to-weight figures, even better than bikes displacing higher capacities. It will, with the just the rider on board beat the latter lot in performance stakes as well.
A few other Indian bike makers intend joining this P-T-W party, and we could in probability see the results this year, or latest by the beginning of the next.
Whatever the route, one thing is for certain, bike makers are finally seeing sportiness in the true sense as a good business model, and that’s brilliant news for us, the Indian biking enthusiast.
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